Life has been beyond busy and chaotic these past 6 months.
Work is full press; grabbing a second job on the weekends and once or twice during the week in the evenings. Moving thru a divorce with my wife I have dated since I was 16. Moving thru a divorce with the two young girls my soon to be ex-wife and I love the most.
This is an easy time to give into self. Being beaten on all fronts of my (our) lives; it is easier to grab at any present comfort to fill the moment need. But this is also the time I need to rebuild my life's foundation. I believe I have the opportunity to take a step closer to God or a step back from him. For me the next 2-4 months are critical regarding finding his path in my new life. I have been treading water. It is time I found his direction and began the swim to shore.
Sean, Thanks for your honesty and vulnerability. I am searching for the words to comfort you and Matt 11:28-30 comes to mind...28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” I will continue to pray that God will give you the rest, peace,and strength you need each day.
What competes with Christ in my life. I believe that one of the things that competes with Christ the most is just being busy in general. It is easy for me to stay busy with all of the things that my kids (and thus I) am involved in. Unfortunately, it is also easy for me to put Christ in the back seat and say "I am just to busy" to get in the word, or fellowship with other believers.
Another thing that tends to compete with God in my life is football. I am a high school football coach, and it is far from a 4 month deal. I only wish that I could say that I put as much time and energy into my Christian walk as I do to my team and my work.
What is competing with Christ for my life? Easy, sin and sometimes lots of it. Ok, but what is the big picture here, what is sin? Sin is anything outside the will of God. Ok, but what is the will of god? The will of God is the extension of the being of God. Ok, so what is the being of God then? God is love. Alright, so my sin must be anything that is the opposite of God’s perfect love?
I realize this may be a bit of an over simplification, and I don’t mean to reduce God to a few words, but I believe there is some truth to the idea that sin is anything done or not done through God’s love and the components of God’s love compassion, mercy, patience, hope, peace, forgiveness, and justice (not a vengeful justice, but a justice that loves it’s enemies and is continuing to bring renewal, healing, restoration, and a revealing of truth to the world).
When Jesus spoke in public he was speaking to two main crowds. These two crowds are highlighted in the parable of the prodigal son. The common people who don’t think they need God or else they view God as unloving and unrelatable (the prodigal younger brother), and the Pharisee’s who self righteously control God through obedience to the law (the older brother). Jesus says,” your paths are in vain, I am the life, open your eyes to my kingdom the one true reality, come join me and see the world that is love eternal, that has always been, and will always be.”
I say all of this for two reasons. First is that sin is bigger than the 10 commandments and all the laws of the Bible and if you think you can beat or manage this then good luck. Only God’s love can transform sin into something good. The second is being in God’s will is bigger than prayer, fasting, reading the Bible, quiet time, doctrine, being nice, and mission trips. Not that these things aren’t good, but God’s love and will are always active, constant, and communal (meant for more than ourselves). Everything we do is a chance to love. I so often compartmentalize my time as my time and God’s time. Yah, I’m busy, so God’s love should be busy with me. Keaner, I bet you love football, so love it, don’t feel guilty for it. Football is one of God’s gifts to you. By day in day out loving and respecting the kid’s and the game you do more for the kingdom than a quiet time ever would. The gospel (love) is far more powerful when humbly done than when said (which probable makes everything I’m saying a bit ironic).
Sean, I have known you for years and I can list many amazing things about you, but what has always stood out is your good and compassionate heart. I know what you are going through now and over the next year will be a difficult time to say the least, but I encourage you to plug your good heart into the way of God’s kingdom whose path is always love for you, love for others, and love for God at its core. I love you, Brother, and I’m here for you if you need me.
I think with my last post I tried to say too many things at once, so sorry if it was confusing. I think what I wanted to say was that for Jeremy's question and a lesson from the Sermon on the mount is that sin is bigger and more wide spread than we think, but God and God's love is also far bigger than we think. We as modern christians like to define sin and God in neat little catagories. If we do this we limit the power of both.
The following are competing with my relationship with God...
ReplyDeletea. My selfishness for my own time personal.
b. My fraud excuses that I tell myself to limit his will in my life.
c. My false ownership of my life.
Life has been beyond busy and chaotic these past 6 months.
ReplyDeleteWork is full press; grabbing a second job on the weekends and once or twice during the week in the evenings. Moving thru a divorce with my wife I have dated since I was 16. Moving thru a divorce with the two young girls my soon to be ex-wife and I love the most.
This is an easy time to give into self. Being beaten on all fronts of my (our) lives; it is easier to grab at any present comfort to fill the moment need. But this is also the time I need to rebuild my life's foundation. I believe I have the opportunity to take a step closer to God or a step back from him. For me the next 2-4 months are critical regarding finding his path in my new life. I have been treading water. It is time I found his direction and began the swim to shore.
Sean, Thanks for your honesty and vulnerability. I am searching for the words to comfort you and Matt 11:28-30 comes to mind...28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
ReplyDeleteI will continue to pray that God will give you the rest, peace,and strength you need each day.
What competes with Christ in my life. I believe that one of the things that competes with Christ the most is just being busy in general. It is easy for me to stay busy with all of the things that my kids (and thus I) am involved in. Unfortunately, it is also easy for me to put Christ in the back seat and say "I am just to busy" to get in the word, or fellowship with other believers.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that tends to compete with God in my life is football. I am a high school football coach, and it is far from a 4 month deal. I only wish that I could say that I put as much time and energy into my Christian walk as I do to my team and my work.
What is competing with Christ for my life? Easy, sin and sometimes lots of it. Ok, but what is the big picture here, what is sin? Sin is anything outside the will of God. Ok, but what is the will of god? The will of God is the extension of the being of God. Ok, so what is the being of God then? God is love. Alright, so my sin must be anything that is the opposite of God’s perfect love?
ReplyDeleteI realize this may be a bit of an over simplification, and I don’t mean to reduce God to a few words, but I believe there is some truth to the idea that sin is anything done or not done through God’s love and the components of God’s love compassion, mercy, patience, hope, peace, forgiveness, and justice (not a vengeful justice, but a justice that loves it’s enemies and is continuing to bring renewal, healing, restoration, and a revealing of truth to the world).
When Jesus spoke in public he was speaking to two main crowds. These two crowds are highlighted in the parable of the prodigal son. The common people who don’t think they need God or else they view God as unloving and unrelatable (the prodigal younger brother), and the Pharisee’s who self righteously control God through obedience to the law (the older brother). Jesus says,” your paths are in vain, I am the life, open your eyes to my kingdom the one true reality, come join me and see the world that is love eternal, that has always been, and will always be.”
I say all of this for two reasons. First is that sin is bigger than the 10 commandments and all the laws of the Bible and if you think you can beat or manage this then good luck. Only God’s love can transform sin into something good. The second is being in God’s will is bigger than prayer, fasting, reading the Bible, quiet time, doctrine, being nice, and mission trips. Not that these things aren’t good, but God’s love and will are always active, constant, and communal (meant for more than ourselves). Everything we do is a chance to love. I so often compartmentalize my time as my time and God’s time. Yah, I’m busy, so God’s love should be busy with me. Keaner, I bet you love football, so love it, don’t feel guilty for it. Football is one of God’s gifts to you. By day in day out loving and respecting the kid’s and the game you do more for the kingdom than a quiet time ever would. The gospel (love) is far more powerful when humbly done than when said (which probable makes everything I’m saying a bit ironic).
Sean, I have known you for years and I can list many amazing things about you, but what has always stood out is your good and compassionate heart. I know what you are going through now and over the next year will be a difficult time to say the least, but I encourage you to plug your good heart into the way of God’s kingdom whose path is always love for you, love for others, and love for God at its core. I love you, Brother, and I’m here for you if you need me.
I think with my last post I tried to say too many things at once, so sorry if it was confusing. I think what I wanted to say was that for Jeremy's question and a lesson from the Sermon on the mount is that sin is bigger and more wide spread than we think, but God and God's love is also far bigger than we think. We as modern christians like to define sin and God in neat little catagories. If we do this we limit the power of both.
ReplyDelete